Nation

Najib: MH17 tragedy a great test for nation

Aid for the needy: Najib presenting contributions from tithes to a recipient in Pekan.

PEKAN: Datuk Seri Najib Razak said despite being a small country, Malaysia has managed to uphold its image and dignity in the handling of the MH17 issue.

Referring to his success in brokering a deal with the Ukrainian separatist group to release the bodies of the victims and the plane’s black box, the Prime Minister said that to do so, he had to stay up until between 3am to 4am to call several world leaders and separatist leader Alexander Barodai.

“Alhamdulillah (thanks to Allah), we managed to get back the black box and brought out the bodies of the victims from Ukraine,” he said when presenting Ramadan aid to senior citizens at Kampung Tanjung Medang near here yesterday.

The tragedy, he said, was a great test for the country, especially in the month of Ramadan.

After the breaking of fast there, Najib was presented with a surprise present of pulut kuning from the villagers in conjunction with his 61st birthday, which fell on Wednesday.